ABSTRACT

The "compulsive" stealing of a ten-year-old resident of a home for mildly disturbed children was successfully eliminated over a 312-month period. Various attempts were made to curb the stealing. It was noted, for example, that he frequently gave the objects he stole to another person. The training of mediators in the observation and recording of behavior is essential. Accurate records can detect changes in behavior which otherwise might be missed and provide daily feedback on program effectiveness. The use of behavior records presented difficulties for the staff in this study, initially. Further, some tended to regard them as a "criminal record" and were hesitant to report stealing incidents for fear of getting Mike into trouble. It is probably desirable to keep generalizability in mind when selecting reinforcers. Mike's nonstealing behavior appears to be coming under the control of the child care worker and peer relationships which may be effective enough to maintain it.